Some years ago I was invited to write a Montessori column for The News, a newspaper in Eureka, California. Since that time sections of this document have been published as parenting articles by AMIUSA (The Association Montessori of the United States), and have been shared by Montessori schools and teacher training centers.
(The book is available on Amazon: CLICK: Amazon)
Dear Susan,
My question is about self-esteem. Do you think it can be given to a child, or must it come from the child’s own achievement? How can we help children who have low self-esteem?
—Felicia Oldfather, musician
Dear Felicia,
“Self-esteem” is talked about a lot in education and psychology today. It seems to me that there are two kinds of self-esteem being confused as one. One is shallow, transitory, and dependent upon constant or at least periodic validation, reward, or praise from someone other than oneself. It is sort of like the traditional search for “fame, wealth, and power”, or grades and the approval of teachers. The other is deep, solid, and dependent solely upon the actions of oneself. The result of the second is more often the self-actualized, content human being who has no need for fame, wealth and power, grades or approval.
(The entire “Self-Esteem” parent supplement is from the AMIUSA bookstore: CLICK Bookstore)
A list of the topics in this column:
Self-Esteem . . . 28
Womb Music . . . 41
Preparing the Montessori Environment Before Birth . . . 44
Pacifiers and Swaddling . . . 46
Weaning . . . 50
Summer Ideas for Under Age Three . . . 53
Adults Modeling Behavior for Children . . . 59
The Loving Act of Fathering . . . 61
Power and Obedience . . . 64
Stress and Children . . . 67
Montessori Philosophy and Shopping with Children . . . 69
How Your Child is Intelligent . . . 74
Television! Passive Observation of Life . . . 78
Good Books for Children . . . 81
Teenage Trouble . . . 84
Teaching Children to Manage Their Time . . . 87
Holiday Memory Making . . . 92
Homeschooling a la Montessori . . . 96
Learning to Love History . . . 99
Fun with Great Aunt and Uncle . . . 104
The other chapters in the book:
Peru, A Montessori Class without Montessori Materials . . . 11
Nepal, Montessori for Forgotten Himalayan Children . . . 107
Tibet, Braille without Borders (BWB), including Tibetan Children’s Villages and The Kanthari Project in India . . . 119
Montessori Teachers with the Dalai Lama in Sikkim . . . 133
Russia, Montessori Help for Severe Disabilities . . . 144
Morocco, An Orphanage, Village Schools, and a Garden . . . 149
Thailand, Educateurs san Frontières (EsF) . . . 160
Born Inside, Babies Born in Prison . . . 161
Montessori for the Elderly and Forgetful . . . 164
Montessori at Home, 0-6 . . . 168
Montessori at Home, 6-18 . . . 192
A Grandparenting Literary Experience . . . 203
Visiting a Montessori 3-6 class in London . . . 210
Stages of Development . . . 223
Blessings,
Susan
Home page, CLICK: Susan